Zain Kuwait’s investment in youth is shaping tomorrow’s digital and knowledge economy

KUWAIT: Through a third consecutive strategic partnership with the Kuwait National Robotics Championship (KNRC), Zain Kuwait reaffirms its ongoing commitment to supporting high-impact initiatives that develop young people’s digital skills and empower them to lead the future with confidence. This is achieved by providing practical, applied learning platforms that help prepare national talent to keep pace with the requirements of the digital and knowledge economy.

Zain took part in the closing ceremony hosted at the Conference Center at Sabah Al-Salem University City, attended by Minister of State for Youth and Sports Affairs Dr Tareq Al-Jalahma, President of Kuwait University Dr Dina Al-Mailam, Acting Director General of the Public Authority for Youth, Nasser Al-Sheikh, and Chief Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer at Zain Kuwait Waleed Al-Khashti. Al-Khashti joined the ceremony to honor the winners and announced the recipient of Zain’s Innovation Nation Award, recognizing the team whose project best integrated innovation with sustainability.

KNRC was jointly organized by Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Youth, and the Ministry of Education, in strategic partnership with Zain Kuwait, reflecting an integrated model that brings together the education sector, the youth sector, and the private sector in service of Kuwait’s future.

During the closing ceremony, Waleed Al-Khashti said: “We remain committed to investing in young people and developing national talent ready to lead the digital and knowledge economy. By empowering a generation confident in its technical capabilities, Zain is advancing sustainable development through innovation and digital solutions.”

Dr Tareq Al-Jalahma honors Waleed Al-Khashti, joined by Dr Dina Al-Mailam and Nasser Al-Sheikh.

Al-Khashti delivers Zain’s speech.

A group photo of the organizers and winners.

He added: “KNRC is among the most prominent national platforms combining applied learning, experimentation, and teamwork. It has contributed to developing analytical thinking, problem-solving, programming, and engineering prototyping skills, which we see as essential foundations for building national talent that can lead the future with confidence. For this reason, we present the annual ‘Innovation Nation’ award, offered by Zain each year to the team that best integrates innovation and sustainability into science and technology applications.”

Al-Khashti concluded: “Our strategic partnership with the championship continues to stand out in its third year. Through close collaboration with various national institutions, we have shared the technology passion of more than 700 students across different educational stages. This represents a successful model of cross-sector integration in service of Kuwait’s future and aligns with Zain’s direction of investing in human capital and supporting applied learning pathways.”

KNRC is one of Kuwait’s largest national platforms encouraging school and university students to innovate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It runs through a series of progressive stages throughout the season, combining hands-on learning, technological experimentation, and teamwork, thereby developing participants’ capabilities in analytical thinking, problem-solving, engineering prototyping, and programming.

The current season also featured a range of accompanying events and activities, including specialized competitions, training tracks, workshops, and scientific camps aimed at increasing students’ readiness for regional and global competitions. This included the hosting of competitive qualifiers at the Scientific Center recently, with broad participation from teams across different age groups.

This ongoing partnership aligns with Zain’s approach to investing in human capital and supporting applied learning pathways, helping build a generation that is confident in its technical abilities and able to contribute to achieving the goals of Kuwait Vision 2035 through innovation and the development of digital solutions that serve society and enhance its competitiveness.